Natalie Van Coevorden- Australian Triathlete

“This is my office, I know what to do”. Speaking to Michael Lloyd, the AIS sports psychologist, gave me an excellent insight into the sometimes undiscovered aspects of the mental side of elite sport. We as athletes, sometimes overlook these or even over analyse them allowing them to become barriers or challenges that we should not need to face.   Training and racing both require mental skills that we may have already or need to develop to become better athletes- the sheer guts and determination to be win. Racing my first Dextro World Triathlon Series race was exciting. I wouldn’t say that everything turned out perfectly but you have to start somewhere.   I have been working hard on my swim, trying to “chick” the boys especially in harder sessions and basically understanding “real world” pace. Sydney’s swim gave me a good idea of how the best of the best swim. Coming out near the front was important and integrating ...

The start of the World Triathlon Series in Sydney was my first opportunity to race the best 68 girls in the world. As Sydney is only a short hour trip from home, it was a chance for family and friends to be out watching my race or see me live on television. Shaun Stephens mentioned that this race was a chance for some athletes to gain Olympics selection but for me it was a race for development and opportunity. My goal for this season is to continue to develop, learn and have consistent performances. Hard weeks of training towards Sydney race spec got me ready for the demands of the competition. Travelling into Sydney Thursday, for briefing made reality kick in as I saw who I was racing. We had a great place to stay thanks to Triathlon Australia at Radisson Blu that was about half way between the two transitions. An extremely early start to race day, 4.45am, I was up on the rollers giving the legs a quick spin before our breakf...